C-Bo - Gas Chamber + Autopsy Source reviews

[tnp]

C-Bo - Gas Chamber
April 1994 issue
3 mics

Utilizing hip-hop's underground railroad of word of mouth props, C-Bo, the "Bald head nut/Fishtailin' in the cut," has already earned a dedicated following that stretches from his home town of Sacramento to the bayous of Louisiana and beyond. HIs success might be due to the fact that he is a gifted lyricist. It might also be because he has an appealing gangsta/freestyle flow, which often continues throughout an entire song without any pauses for choruses or hooks. Or it might be because he sounds very much like Cube did back in 1990--an element that has been absent from hip-hop and missed by millions for about four years now. (Actually there's a cut that will allow fans to compare the two, as C-Bo uses "The Message" for the backbone of "Survival in the Garden." And if you ask me, it looks as if C-Bo is having a better "day" than Cube, if you know what I mean.

Showing more love of Old School cuts, Bo's production team adds some twists to the intro of Whodini's "Five Minutes of Funk" and finds a way to turn it into the quality gangsta track entitled "4G." The best production, however, can be found on the laid-back, but still hard instrumental, "Chronic Conference," which is made for...well, the title says it all. The production on the remainder of the album contains the average gangsta grooves that we have all heard before, leaving it up to C-Bo to carry the album with his lyrical flow--which he can handle--but at times even his gangsta themes can wear a little thin.

Hopefully we'll be hearing more from C-Bo in the future, but it doesn't look likely. The Sacramento Police Department has issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of criminal negligence. According to police reports, he allegedly fired "the first of a volley of shots that left one person dead and three wounded" at a taping for his video where rival gangs were present. Hey kids, can you say "collector's item?"

review by J-Mill


C-Bo - The Autopsy
December 1994 issue
3 1/2 mics

The last time we heard of C-Bo, word was his career may have been over, due to a run-in with the law-dawgs. With the matter settled, he returns with The Autopsy. From the sound of things, it's apparent that Bo's attention never swayed far from his music. His non-stop flow is as stable as ever, and his follow-up exceeds the work heard on his debut. A well-produced excursion into uptempo G-shit, The Autopsy succeeds where his earlier release failed--on the production. Last time around, the drums were tinny and flat, the EQ level was a little off, the tracks were a little too sunny. Not so with The Autopsy. The beats are hard enough to handle C-Bo's Cube-like flow. The bass resounds, the drums pound. Sounds like Bo invested royalty money into better equipment, and his work is benefitting from it. The album's tracks are more cohesive. Everything has a little more drive. Harder beats serve as a better back-drop.

Tempos on much of this album bring Amerikkka's Most Wanted to mind, and Bo's style reminds me of Cube's work from that era. "Groovin on a Sunday" is an exception, with C-Bo's slower delivery evoking Cube's "Today Was a Good Day." On other songs, Bo relentlessly batters listeners with continuous flwo and 'Terrordome'-length verses. Commercial viability and choruses seem incidental as he unleashes a mind-spray from which no one is protected. Indicative of his style: "America's Nightmare." Over the hardest variation of One Way's "Cutie Pie," he rhymes: "No tattoos, you can't mark me/Down with my sistas so fuck Charles Barkley."

His best is saved for last. To get "Ghetto Flight" off the ground, he kicks a lengthy verse then passes the mic to a pack of guests. While a posse cut supposedly ensures that all-parties-involved catch wreck, C-Bo's flow flies heads. The Autopsy is not labeled as an EP, but with only six songs it is. Since all six songs are quality cuts, it should definitely be considered for the collection.

review by J-Mill

[Vigilante]

props...once again BSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS